A Temple of the Holy Spirit

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Daniel & Catherine ready for Confirmation I had the privilege of witnessing my son and daughter receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this past Tuesday at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Annunciation in Lancaster, OH. It was a wonderful Mass with a full choir, trumpets, and all the rest. During his remarks, Bishop Earl K. Fernandes mentioned that we too, like the Basilica, are temples of the Lord. It caused me to reflect on this idea. Although I've mostly seen only pictures of the great cathedrals and basilicas in the world, I have seen some amazing churches even in our own diocese. These structures are a testament to the Church's love for God (read the entire Church - Militant, Suffering, Triumphant). They represent great skill, sacrifice, and passion for Our Lord and often times His Mother.  Yet the words of Christ always echo in my mind when contemplating the beauty that surrounds me in those places; “ Do you see these great buildings? There will not be one stone left u
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Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Note: In the days B.C. (Before Catherine) this blog focused mainly on daily Scripture meditations. I am going to attempt to get back into that habit although I am making no promises. Don't worry, all things Catherine will still be posted here! ;-)

Readings for the Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

In 1998 I came back to the Catholic Church after years of self-centered living. It was almost an instantaneous conversion that one might call miraculous (you can listen to my conversion story here).

During the past ten years I have experienced extreme highs in my faith and extreme lows. I have experienced what could only be described as miraculous experiences and I have fallen deep into sin and despair.

In today's Gospel Jesus tells the parable of the sower and the seed and as I look back over my life I see this parable lived out. I have seen my heart as a hard "path", "rocky ground", and "rich soil." The part that I am experiencing the most now is this - "Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots."

With this trial that I face with my daughter I am learning that my soil is not as deep as I once thought it was. The continual stress opens the door for temptation and doubt. I am being scorched but I am not yet withered.

I am not withered because I have chosen to call upon the Holy Spirit to crush the rocky parts of my heart to dust and to deepen the soil. My roots must dig deeper and this ordeal is presenting itself as an opportunity to dig deeper into Christ and to hold tight.

To put it rather bluntly, as in gardening, the soil must be enriched and this is most commonly done with manure. God often works the same way. As strange as it may sound, the paradox is true, if you are experiencing a lot of "you-know-what" in your life God is working to enrich the soil of your heart so that it may become rich soil and, "produce fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirty fold."

FROM THE SAINTS - "Cross, toil, tribulation: such will be your lot as long as you live. That was the way Christ followed, and the disciple is not above his Master." - Saint Josemaria Escriva - The Way # 699

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